Racist tirade forced 999 call handlers to hang up

SUSPENDED SENTENCE

AN irate man subjected two emergency call handlers to such a tirade of racial abuse they had to hang up.

James Brewin told one 999 operator that racism did not exist and it was “just a form of name calling”.

When arrested for making the offensive calls and taken to a police station, he threw a hot meal against a cell wall in protest, Leicester Crown Court was told.

Brewin, who has a history of mental health issues, including ADHD and an emotionally unstable personality disorder, became angry with the call handlers because he believed the police failed to respond to his earlier report of having had his “face smashed in by a black man”.

The court heard that police did attend the scene following 34-yearold Brewin’s earlier complaint of an assault but he was not there, having “moved on to another place.”

Brewin, of Baseball Walk, Belgrave, admitted two counts of sending an offensive message via a public communication network on Monday, August 24 last year.

He pleaded guilty to criminal damage by spattering the police cell with food after his arrest on Wednesday,

September 16. The defendant also admitted the offences put him in breach of a suspended sentence imposed in January last year.

The prosecutor, Eunice OpareAddo, said Brewin made the first 999 call at 8.59pm to find out what was happening about his report of being assaulted and expressed threats of violence and made insulting racial comments against his alleged assailant.

Miss Opare-Addo added: “Brewin said his [own] actions would go unpunished because of his mental health.”

He then made personal and racially offensive remarks to the female operator who ended the call.

At 9.10pm he made another 999 call, when another woman operator was spoken to in a similarly abusive manner, including racial insults.

He told her that the earlier call handler was a “nasty little tramp”.

Brewin again said his assault complaint had been ignored by the police and threatened to take the matter into his own hands and “deal with it myself ”.

“The handler ended the call due to the language of the defendant,” said Miss Opare-Addo.

The court heard that Brewin had 33 offences on his record, including causing damage, public order, fraud and assaulting an emergency worker.

James Armstrong-Holmes, mitigating, said: “He suffers from a number of mental health conditions.

“His animosity was towards the police for not coming to his aid, but what he then did was deeply offensive and shouldn’t have happened and he knows that. He’s deeply apologetic, remorseful and ashamed.

“In April, he self-referred himself for help and support. He tells me he really wants to sort his life out, continue working in car valeting and not be involved in any more trouble.”

Recorder Simon King said the offences were “deeply unpleasant”.

He told Brewin: “I accept you have a number of mental health issues which you’ve had to grapple with throughout your life.

“I’m heartened to see you’ve taken a more responsible approach to avail yourself of help.

“It doesn’t seem to me there will be any useful purpose in sending you to prison for making offensive calls and throwing food around a police cell, although I am not making light of it.”

Brewin was given a three-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, with a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement under the supervision of the probation service.

FOR MAN, 34, WITH HISTORY OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES